(NOAH) Aiming for "Noah's Tag = Mutoh & Marufuji", 2022 year round defense. Interview with "The Genius Tag" towards the New Year's Day Budokan
Pro Wrestling DX
Q: To start, what is your impression of Noah's event at the Nippon Budokan on New Year's Day?
MUTOH: New Japan is running the Tokyo Dome on January 4th and 5th, All Japan is running Korakuen on January 2nd and 3rd, and this time Noah will run the Nippon Budokan on January 1st. I think there are many other promotions who are running shows during the year end and New Year holidays, and in a sense while this is not WWE Wrestlemania*, if this kind of week can be established then pro wrestling fans will gather from rural areas. I hope that the words "Pro Wrestling" will spread again in that way.
MARUFUJI: Before anything, it is a great pleasure to be able to run the Budokan on New Year's Day. A few years ago with what happened with Noah...I am deeply moved by the fact that we have come this far, and in those circumstances I came to say "Aim for The Budokan". The Budokan was like a goal, but this time The Budokan will start in a year. Aren't there 365 days from that? That is why we have to create something that is comparable to The Budokan on New Year's Day throughout the year...I think it will be good pressure.
Q: Noah's "New Years Day Budokan" may take root with this opportunity
MUTOH: But I'm an old man from the Showa era*. Maybe it's unlucky on January 1st because relatives get together and because of that Hatsumōde* (and in that there may be many events that have priority over pro wrestling). That is something that makes me wonder, but do people of this era go out to have fun without getting together like that? I also wonder about that. So, I don't know until January 1st will be good or bad until it happens. Maybe even a pro wrestling fan can't go out on New Year's Day if relatives have come from afar on January 1st, even more so as they couldn't meet due to Corona this year, so they are going to love meeting even more. I won't know until the lid is opened.
Q: Putting it another way, with a live delivery such as ABEMA, there may be potential to go into the living room on New Years Day.
MUTOH: True. It would be great if it could be watched like Hakone Ekiden*. Well, while everyone is gathering together and drinking alcohol, there may be people who watch alone on a mobile phone (laugh).
Q: The important match will be the GHC Tag Team Championship M's alliance showdown
MUTOH: I think it's going to be a tough match. Because I have stood in the same corner as Tanaka and Mochizuki, their weaknesses have been seen. The two of them are in particularly good condition, and they always come with all their might.
MARUFUJI: During this period, I lost to Tanaka in the pre match (a singles match) and he's very encouraging to team up with...which means that it's going to be hard to become an enemy, so I think this will be equal. However, I think that this will be an "interesting match" in terms of pro wrestling. I lost the singles match recently, but when fighting Tanaka I thought there was something like the gears meshing. Well, when all four gears are available, it will be a very interesting tag match and as a result, we have to win.
Q: It looks like there are four masters, but are you looking forward to the strategy accumulated from your careers?
MARUFUJI: Out of the four of us, I am the youngest in both age and career. Out of our four careers, I am not a veteran yet...in this, I am a super rookie.
MUTOH: No such thing (laughs)
Q: It's been a while since you teamed up with Marufuji, but what has been the effect?
MUTOH: There has been an effect, but the other other day when I fought a singles with Mochizuki I laid bare to win, but just because I won the singles I don't know what will happen when we fight as a team. Ultimately, the tag team that is born with a lot of fixed amount is strong. I'm confident that the tag with Maru-chan will not lose in that respect, but it's going to be a fight.
Q: Since from the beginning it's been like a "genius tag" from the beginning, are you intentionally not deciding "Let's do this, let's do that" before matches. Will it be the same on New Year's day when competing with each others sensibilities?
MARUFUJI: Yes. I don't know Mutoh's contact information in the first place.
MUTOH: Well, I keep an eye on Twitter, but I skip a lot of tweets. My timeline is full of Marufuji, Marufuji, Marufuji...it's all filled with Maru-chan (laughs).
MARUFUJI:...If it's irritating, please unfollow me (laughs)
Q: It may be that there is the aspect of letting you know the ability of the "M's alliance" by fighting because this is a fight in the unit.
MUTOH: Considering that this is going to be broadcast on New Year's Day, maybe there are people who will be watching pro wrestling for the first time, that's why we should provide easy to understand pro wrestling. When the relatives who gather in the living room say, "Let's watch it because it's amusing", they can get involved. Well, I can't be so complicated, and I have said this many many times (laughs) I am the opponent I am fighting against.
Q: You have just begun as a tag team and the tag champions, but how far do you want to go as a team next year?
MARUFUJI: I want to go as far as I can.
MUTOH: I want to add value to the belt also, "Noah's tag team is Marufuji and Mutoh", and considering Noah's history so far, I want to make it a presence that everyone thinks about so far. In current puroresu, "tag shop" seems to be what everyone is thinking about.
Q: Especially lately, it may be less.
MUTOH: Yeah, I feel that this (the tag) is being neglected.
Q: There is also the opinion that a tag is the real thrill of pro wrestling.
MUTOH: Even I watch the Olympics now I think the doubles, tennis and badminton, are good. Doubles has a lot of depth because of the fierce offense and defense, and there is love in the team with the relationship of trust between the partners. Even if you look at table tennis, the team with strong ties still wins...is our bond okay?
MARUFUJI: It's okay (laughs)
MUTOH: But, there is a bond also with Mochizuki and Tanaka?
MARUFUJI: They have often teamed within the M's alliance for the past year or so, they were doing it even before they came here.
Q: Marufuji, you said you wanted to re-examine the history and the value of the GHC tag.
MARUFUJI: The fact that the single is the face of the group is fine, but the difference is wide or there is an aspect of the tag being dim, so I want to make it shine.
Q: Since Tag League was not held this year, the tag title match may become more important.
MUTOH: Tags are easier to convey love and bonds than in singles. Singles are individual fights, and so to speak, selfish fights.
Q: What kind of match do you want to have at The Budokan, what kind of victory do you want to gave, and what kind of message do you want to convey?
MARUFUJI: I want to convey the message that I have been talking about, and I think it will be a day when you don't know unless you try. I think it's going to be difficult to get a perfect score of 120*, so in that sense I think we can see various things at the start of the year. I think for both the wrestlers and the staff, this will be a big learning curve, and so I think it is important therefore that the matches are easy to understand that we have fun. I don't think the people watching it will be happy if we aren't, and so I want to show a pro wrestling that is different from singles and get the New Year off to a good start.
MUTOH: "The team of Marufuji and Mutoh is strong", I want to give that impression. Plus, next year, we will hold the Nippon Budokan event on New Years Day. That is why I am think I should wear the belt all the way until then, and I'll be doing a tag title match at the Nippon Budokan on New Year's Day next year!
*With Noah now looking to run The Budokan on January 1st each year as well as the traditional New Year activities of All Japan, New Japan (and smaller promotions such as ZERO-1 who hold their own New Years traditional show), this has come to be known as Puro's own "Golden Week".
*Mutoh was born 1962 (Showa year 36). Showa era (reign of Emperor Hirohito) was from 1926 - 1989. Hirohito's reign saw two world wars and the occupation of Japan, therefore it is often divided into two due to the differences in the country, society etc, in what is known as "Post Showa" i.e. after the war. Mutoh is poking fun at himself as an era has gone by since then - Heisei (January 1989 - April 2019), and we are currently in Reiwa. In short, people from the Showa Era are seen to be a bit old fashioned and set in their ways.
*The first Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine visit of the Japanese New Year.
*Hakone Ekiden is a marathon which takes place over New Year
*Tag Shop: Term which doesn't translate well, but mainly means that two people who are strong in singles come together to form a tag.
*Means that the maximum score of 100 points is exceeded, with the perfect score being 120.
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